The Captain Vs. The Capitals: Canucks Take 2–1 Victory Against Washington

Quinn Hughes carried his team to a victory on Saturday night as the Vancouver Canucks took on the surging Washington Capitals, with the home team holding on to take the 2–1 win. Hughes scored twice for Vancouver, while Pierre-Luc Dubois scored Washington’s lone goal. Kevin Lankinen started his first game since January 14, making 32 saves on 33 shots against. Washington’s Charlie Lindgren managed to stop 23 of 25 shots on net.

Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson (no, not that one) made his NHL debut tonight after a solid showing with the Abbotsford Canucks. He played alongside Vincent Desharnias, getting a taste of Canucks hockey by being trapped in his own zone for a minute and a half in the second period. Pettersson’s debut was not the only lineup shakeup, however, as nearly every line had members shift around by the time the puck was dropped.

Washington came out of the gates flying, oozing confidence as they trapped the Canucks in their own zone for the majority of the first period. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to Canucks fans, as Vancouver’s slow starts have been consistent this season. Despite having a couple of faceoffs in the Capitals’ zone, they lost their draws and ended up being forced back towards Lankinen. Any opportunities to carry the puck out were negated by Washington’s stiff defence.

Desharnais was called for tripping with just a little less than 10 minutes into the first period, giving the Capitals the first power play of the game. Even so, Washington’s best chance came directly after the power play, when Lankinen dove to try and grab the puck, leaving the net wide open for Lars Eller to tip the puck in. However, with a no-go shot, the game turned around for Vancouver. Great forechecking by Nils Höglander helped get the puck back to Hughes, who wove through Washington’s zone to score off a backhand shot. While Washington had the offensive chance, it was Vancouver who finished the play with a lead.

The tidy goal from Hughes was followed up by an unfortunate call for Washington after Martin Fehervary tripped Danton Heinen and sent the Canucks onto the power play. Vancouver’s power play had the usual suspects on it, with Conor Garland taking a spot in front of the net. Washington continued their pressure towards the end of the Vancouver man-advantage, bringing the puck back into the Canucks’ zone after and forcing Lankinen to make a few diving saves to keep the score 1–0.

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Vancouver ended the period with a power play drawn by Höglander, who was tripped by Washington’s John Carlson. The scrappy forward had a great first period, making a powerful effort to grab a helper on Hughes’ goal (with a pass that, albeit, could have gotten him benched if it hadn’t been scored on), and helping ignite the line of himself, Pettersson (F), and Linus Karlsson. His assist marks his 100th career NHL point.

The second period started with a bang, as Boeser banked the puck to J.T. Miller, who tore into Washington’s zone and nearly nabbed the second goal for the Canucks, no thanks to Lindgren’s goalpost. That missed chance didn’t stop Vancouver from powering themselves to their next goal, however, as some nifty passing by Boeser and Filip Hronek allowed Hughes to slide across the blueline and tuck in his second of the game.

Scoring didn’t stop Vancouver from continuing their pressure. A couple of in-close chances by Miller were only just denied by Lindgren. The Canucks looked noticeably looser to start the period, experimenting with longer-range passes to break out the puck and send fresh players on partial breaks — similar to the opening play of the frame. One particular chance was negated due to an offside call.

The back-and-forth waves of fast-paced play continued into the third period, with each team taking turns buzzing around in each others’ zones. Not a single whistle was blown until 6:12 into the period. Shortly after, both teams went another 5:44 without a whistle. Vancouver made efforts to plug up the neutral zone in hopes of stopping any Washington comebacks, which is something that has differed from the team’s past games.

During one of Washington’s stints in Vancouver’s zone, the puck found its way towards Lankinen, where a crop of both Canucks and Capitals scrambled around the crease to grab it. The puck bounced off Aliaski Potras’ stick and found Dubois, who cut his team’s deficit to one. The Capitals continued their swarming of Vancouver’s zone, taking advantage of the home team’s disorganization to get more chances to tie the game.

The final five minutes proved to be the most important for the Canucks, just as it has tended to be throughout this season. Leading by only one goal, Vancouver needed to lock things down and protect the single-goal lead they had, if not add to it. Off a won draw in the neutral zone, Vancouver was able to keep the puck in the Capitals’ zone up until the two-minute mark. When Washington made a move to set up in Vancouver’s zone, Garland tied the puck up along the boards to prevent Lindgren from exiting the net. Once the Capitals goaltender started moving, Phil Di Giuseppe nabbed the puck and shot, with Lindgren only just coming back to knock it away from the net. A wave of Washington pressure bent the Canucks, but a sharp block and tie-up at the faceoff dot from Miller helped prevent them from breaking.

Facts and Stats:

• With his 55th and 56th career goals as a Canuck, Quinn Hughes passes Rick Lanz and Kevin Bieksa for seventh in defenceman scoring

• Brock Boeser ties Don Lever for 19th in franchise assists scored with 221

• Nils Höglander notches his 100th career NHL point

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

12:23 – VAN: Quinn Hughes (13) from Nils Höglander and Filip Hronek

2nd Period:

1:24 – VAN: Quinn Hughes (14) from Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek

3rd Period:

12:31 – WSH: Pierre-Luc Dubois (10) from Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael

Up Next:

Vancouver’s next game is on Monday at 4:30 pm PT, when they take on the St. Louis Blues. The game will be available to stream on Amazon Prime. It’s the first game of a three-game road trip that will end during the same week. They’ll also take on the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars.

Make sure you bookmark THN’s Vancouver Canucks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.